


I'll be the villain they need

by MrEnterpriseWrites



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Anti-Hero, Not Canon Compliant, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Iron Man 2, Villain Tony Stark, alternative universe, sorta - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-28
Updated: 2017-04-27
Packaged: 2018-10-24 19:58:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10748757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrEnterpriseWrites/pseuds/MrEnterpriseWrites
Summary: He found out about SHIELD. About what they really were under the surface. Now he had something else to do. God, had he wanted to be able to be seen as a hero for once in his miserable. But that's not what the people needed. The public didn't need another hero. What they needed was a villain. And Tony Stark was prepared to be that for them.





	I'll be the villain they need

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't decided on a pairing for this one yet. So when I decide on that I'll put it in the tags. If you have any suggestions I would be glad to hear them! :)  
> Also, I would like to warn that this hasn't been beta read. So I apologize for any mistakes.

He wanted to be a good man. God did he want to be at least seen as a decent person for once in his life. When he had made Iron Man he thought that people would like Iron Man. It would be fine if they still didn't like him. Tony Stark wasn't someone that anyone really liked. At least, most people didn't like him. Those who did were few and far between. So when he had JARVIS hack into the SHIELD server and found that HYDRA was hiding in the organization, well… in that moment he didn't know how to feel.  
The only thought that could really break through his shock was, “Thank god I was able to hide the fact that I'm Iron Man from them. Even just barely.” It had been a close thing. Tony had hidden his identity by the skin of his teeth. Now that was coming back to give him an advantage. All that was left was to figure out what to do about SHIELD.  
If he were to expose them now, it would create a power vacuum and likely kill tons of people in the process. Both those who were HYDRA and those who opposed them. The conflict would be long and bloody. There was also the fact that Tony didn't know how far HYDRA’s influence was. With this, he ran into another dilemma. He could collect more information from SHIELD bases and be labeled a villain by the public. Or he could risk an undeterminable number of innocent lives. Tony couldn't take that risk now. Especially after all the damage he had caused before Afghanistan.  
So Tony Stark sat in his workshop in Malibu contemplating his next move. First, he would have to talk to Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy. They would have to know about the situation that had just unfolded. If they weren't made aware of this he would be putting them in danger. He couldn't do that to them again so soon.  
“J, I need you to get Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy as soon as you can. We have to bring them up to speed.” Tony told his beloved AI.  
“Certainly sir.” Was JARVIS’ reply. Sighing Tony ran his hands down his face. God was he tired already. It had only been a day since Stane had shown his true colors. He had had a press conference about Iron Man earlier that day. All of the press were told that he was in no way affiliated with Stark Industries. Most weren't really convinced at all. None of them had any actual evidence though. Without any evidence they couldn't prove it for a fact. Which was such a relief for him and, soon, his friends. Tony would use any advantage he was given. Just like his father had taught him.  
Pepper walked through the door of his lab with Happy following close behind. Rhodey would take longer to come to his Malibu home. He had to deal with the military's questioning after all.  
“Tony, what's so urgent that we needed to be here immediately?” Pepper questioned with a hint of exasperation as she approached the genius. Happy looked on with confused interest as he waited for his bosses answer.  
Smiling his famous press smile Tony replied, “You’re going to wait until Rhodey gets here Pep. This is very important.” His tone turned serious towards the end. The smile that he had on his face had melted off at that point. They tensed up at the realization of just how serious this was. Tony wasn't one for looking so concerned unless there was a reason to. So they sat down on one of the benches in the lab to wait for Rhodey to show up.  
It took some time for him to show himself. No doubt that the military was out for blood. Or at the very least, information. Standing up he went over to find something for all of them to munch on. While it was unlikely that any of them would actually eat what he brought out it gave him something to do with his hands.  
“Tones,” Rhodey began with annoyance, “what's this all about?” Sighing Tony pulled out some cheese that he kept on hand in his space. Setting it down on one of the tables Tony looked at his closest friends.  
“I learned something today. Something dangerous and with terrifying implications. Life just got a lot more complicated.” Tony hedged. The whole room freezes at his words. They were cold, calculated. Anger colored the words with a dash of uncertainty. All of them felt worry creep up their spines at the implications of what Tony had said.  
Slowly Happy asked, “Boss, what's going on?” Looking at his friend Tony inclined his head before walking towards the spot he had been when this mess had unfolded. JARVIS dutifully brought up their findings on holograms. All the damning evidence was on full display for the other three to see. Tony waited for them to read what was in front of them.  
Rhodey was the first to finish and react to it. His eyes widened while his face hardened. A deep scowl etched it's way across his face. Pepper was next to react. She gasped before covering her mouth with one of her hands. At the same time her other hand clenched into a fist at her side. Happy’s face became a mask of stone as he contemplated the intel. None of them wanted to believe what it was saying, but they couldn't ignore what was in front of them.  
“What's our next move?” Pepper, amazing Pepper, drawled after her hand was removed from her mouth. Grinning morbidly Tony looked her straight in the eye.  
“We have to put a stop to this. And we can't let anyone on to the fact that we know. There's no telling how many would die in the fallout of this.” Tony remarked almost casually to them. His words clicked immediately with Rhodey.  
Shocked his best friend said, “You’re going to let the public think you're a villain while you protect, aren’t you?” Nodding his head Tony turned back to gaze at the SHIELD… No, HYDRA files. This whole situation was surreal to him still. Happy walked up to him and rested his hand on Tony's shoulder.  
Pepper’s voice cut through the air with the precision of a blade, “We will need to make a plan. One that will keep them on their toes and off our trail.” A shaky smile spread over his face at that. His eyes turned towards some of the most important people in his life.  
“Come on Tones,” Rhodey said, “we have work to do.” His eyes landed on his oldest friend.  
Nodding his head Tony replied, “You’re right. Well, let's get this show on the road shall we?” An almost feral grin had stretched on his face. Pepper’s face held a calm collected rage with a slight cruel smile upon it. Happy on the other hand held a lazy smile with flinty eyes set on the HYDRA files. Rhodey’s face was much like Tony's. However his hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides. These were the people he loved unconditionally. God help whoever who stood in their way from now on.


End file.
